The main topic of this article covers the prospects and competitive power of the soap opera as a television genre. The main areas of discussion are the following. First, the reasons why the soap opera, has traditionally had competitive power among all the various formats of television programs is discussed. Second, the features of soap opera are analysed through a comparison with other genres of dramatic form. Finally, common elements of the successful long-running soap operas are examined in order to provide a theoretical background for the future production of Korean soap operas in the digital world.